Moistening device



Jan. 7, 1930. .1. H. LEAL MOISTENING DEVICE Filed April 9, 192B m4a1/70eyPatented Jan. `7, 1930 UNITED STATES JOSEPH H. LEAL, OF LOS ANGELES,CALIFORNIA Y MOISTENING DEVICE Application led April 9, 1928. Serial No.268,690.

My invention relates to devices for moistening the fingers to facilitatethe handling and counting of money, checks and the like, andparticularly to that class of moistening devices comprising a liquidcontainer and a inoistening member of liquid absorbing ma terialrotatable in the container to expose freshly moistened portions of itsperiphery. Mounting means for sustaining the moisten ing member forrotation inthe liquid container in moistening devices as heretoforeproposed are generally formed of metal and hence are subject to rustwith consequent deterioration ofboth the mounting means and themoistening member. Further, the structure of the mounting means is ofsuch com plexity as to greatly increase the cost of manufacture and ofsuch form as to necessitate the projection of a portion of the meanssultant disadvantage of preventing or rendering the mounting meansdifcult of removal and thus precluding the removal and cleansing of themoistening member by washing and squeezing, which it is required to dofrom time to time for sanitary and other reasons.

It is a purpose of my inventionto provide a moistening device of theclass above specified wherein the disadvantages recited are eliminatedby the provision of a liquid container constructed of any suitablenon-metallic material and in which a, moistening member of resilientmaterial, preferably sponge rubber, is removably received and rotatablymounted by non-metallic trunnions or other suitable means which embracesthe moistening member axially in a manner to compress the membersufficiently to form an imaginary axis about which the member can bemanually rotated in exposing freshly moistened portions of its peripheryto the user.

It is a further and broader purpose of my invention to provide a liquidcontainer and moistening member in which no metallic parts yare used andwherein the moistening member is rotatable in the container to exposedifferent portions of its periphery and yet freel, removable therefromto permit cleansingt ereof.

through the moistening member with the ref Another purpose of myinvention is the provision of a moistening device of the above?described character in which liquid deposited upon the top of the liquidcontainer is drained back into the container, and wherein the trunnionsare formed integral with the container thus reducing the cost ofmanufacture.-

I will describeonly two forms of moistenmg device embodying my inventionand will then point out the novel features in claims.

-In the accompanying drawlngs:

Fig. l is a view showing in perspective one form of moistening deviceembodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the meisten-ing device showninFig. l;

Fig. 3 is a similar view taken atright angles to Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is aperspective View ofanother form of moisteningv deviceembodying my invention with the moistening element removed.

.In carrying out my invention, I provide a container K for a liquid,such as water, constructed of any suitable material, such as china,andcast or molded to form a cupshaped body of circular formhaving a topWall l5 provided with a diametrically disposedslot or openingl.Thevupperedge of the body is formed with an annular bead 17,` and fromthis bead the top wall is in- Uclined' toward the center and in twodirectionsso as to effect drainage of water deposited thereon back'intothe container through the slot 16. Cast integral with the top wall are apair of lugs 18, which project into the slot from the side walls thereofand which constitutetrunnions about which a moisten* ing element isadapted to rotate within the slot.v These trunnions 18 are medial of theends of the slot and as'shown in Fig. 1 they are of angular form whileas shown in Fig. 4 they are circular in form and provided with roundedheads 18e` for the purpose of reducing the friction between thetrunnions and themoistening member and to thereby facilitate rotation ofthe moistening member within the container. Atopposite sides of thetrunnions, as shown in Figa, the walls of the alot are recessed asindicated atr 19 to for the* member Wliich operates ":to K prevent yform drain openings through which Water from the surface of thecontainer can pass freely back into the container. By reference to Fig.4 it Will be noted that the inclination of the top Wall l5 is such as todrain Water toward these openings.

The moistening member is indicated at M, and itis essential that thismemberbe constructed of"resilientmaterial, 2In the present instance Ihave shown it as formed of that when inserted intothe slot 16 it can bemanually rotated therein. The prerequisite of resiliency is necessary topermit an inser tion of. the moistening member into the slot,

the sides of the member yielding to the trunnions 18. WV'hen themoist'ening member is once -in vplaeethe trunnions are V:disposedaxiallyrthereof and they project into `opposite sides-"ofthe member'soasto' slightlyv compress'the' rubber `and' thereby form an axis aboutAwhich the"moisteningv member rotates.

lra-ctual practice, .thecontainer is partly filled with Waterasillustrated .in Figs. Zand 3 sothat the' lower'portiono the moisteningmember is submerged. The upper port-ion which xis `disposed`'eXteriorlyof the container may be engaged'bythe-hand vaiidnioved toeiect'rtation ofthe member sothat the Inoistened periphery previouslyVsubmerged Will be elevated and thuseXposed to'permit moistening offthefingers. t During rotation of the moisteningmember, the trunnionsoperate tox maintain the; member centered, .and as a consequence theyform an imaginary axis bodily displacement of .thev memberirom lthecontainer -as a result of rotating the member. In thismanner the'moi'sten'ing :member is" at all 'times I mounted y'for rotationalmovement, to expose gfreshlyl'moistened portions of its periphery,a-ndyet it can be readily removed witfliout injury thereto 'to perm-itvcleansing thereof. It'willl be understood that: to propei'lyclean.theLmoisteningmelnber it is neces# sary to `alternately 'rinseand`- squeeze the sponge rubber, and Where there are nosolid partsWasheclWith the member when removed from .the containerf-it willt be"manifest 'that proper -sqeezingl of the sponge rubber 'Will beeifectedincident toits cleaning.

When thelnembei-M is-saturated with Water there isa preponderanceofWeight at its lower, portion which seems to' counterbalscribed only twoforms of moistening device embodying my invention, it is to beunderstood that various changes and modifications may be made hereinWithout departing from the spirit of the invention and the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

I claim:

.l. `A':=moistening device'compiji'sing a liquid containerhavinganopening in the'top'y there- Jof, tru-n-nions fixed on the Walls of saidopensponge rubber and oijardiwmeter an'dfwizdth ing, :andL a'meiste-ning: member of resilient material rotatable Within the openingand .engagedsand compressed by said trunnions whereby an axis is formedabout which the moistening member can be rotated to present newlymoistened peripheral portions eX- teriorly'of the container. A

' 2. A moistening device'cornprising'a liquid container of' circularform having-a diametrically disposed sl-otin the top thereof, trunnionslformedintegral. Withandi projecting inwardly i fromZ the' Walls'` of theslot at` opposite points, 'l anda disk-'shaped-moistening member ofresilient materiali rot-atzzbley i-n'i the slot-and compressed yaxiallybythe trunnions whereby Yan 'axis is f formed about Iwhich themoistening member can be rota-ted.

3. A -`moistening device yhas embodied 'in claim 1k wherein the Walls''of the'openings'are recessed to provide VVdrain"Eopeningslfand the topWallS of the kcoi-itai-ner'-isY inclined in such directions as to`Vlsecuire v-drainagelof i liquid thereon into the drain'f )p'enings y Yf4. 'Asf an article et manufacture, al liquid container havinga 'slotthe top-*Wallkthereof, and"trunnionsfprojectinginto :said slot from 'the=Wal-ls thereof Aand l formed integral with saidl'walls a-ndi adapted?to coa'ct infrotatifvely Vsupporting a moistening 'member Withinrthe-slot. I

f `5. rr-moistening device,'cornprising a liquid container having anopening inthe top' thereof.V a disk shaped moisteningmemberfoi-resilient material Within said opening, .and trunnionsiXed-tof the ywallsran'd' projecting i'nto said' openingi'to penetratethe sides of thel member and.' thus rovide'ia centering axis about-Which'the .mein ermayibe rotated. {SignedlatlLosAngeles,in .the county of LosAngeles, and i State of f California f this 22d `day 1' .of fMarch,.1928.

ance any pullingaetionfapplied to its upper part when vrotating the-member'and which operates in-conjunction'withfthe trunnions to maintainthe member centered Within thev slot so fithat'it cannotfbe laccidentally removed from lthe icontainer. `Rotation is furtherfacilitated by' thereductionof friction' at the poi-nts` of Contact `oftheasponge 'rubber'. with the edgesof' the :slotbecauseof the fact thatthe rubber and slot edges. are moistened.

`'Although -lhave herein shown and de-

